Metabolic changes at the early stage of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture in rats and the interventional effects of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang

Reprogramming Macrophage Metabolism and its Effect on NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Sepsis

Sepsis, the most common life-threatening multi-organ dysfunction syndrome secondary to infection, lacks specific therapeutic strategy due to the limited understanding of underlying mechanisms. It is currently believed that inflammasomes play critical roles in the development of sepsis, among which NLRP3 inflammasome is involved to most extent. Recent studies have revealed that dramatic reprogramming of macrophage metabolism is commonly occurred in sepsis, and this dysregulation is closely related with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. In view of the fact that increasing evidence demonstrates the mechanism of metabolism reprogramming regulating NLRP3 activation in macrophages, the key enzymes and metabolites participated in this regulation should be clearer for better interpreting the relationship of NLRP3 inflammasome and sepsis. In this review, we thus summarized the detail mechanism of the metabolic reprogramming process and its important role in the NLRP3 inflammasome activation of macrophages in sepsis. This mechanism summarization will reveal the applicational potential of metabolic regulatory molecules in the treatment of sepsis.

Metabolome alterations in Clonorchis sinensis after treatment with tribendimidine and praziquante in vivo

Tribendimidine (TBD) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug that is also significantly effective in treating clonorchiasis. In this study, the altered metabolomes of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) in rats after TBD administration were quantified by using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to explore the possible active sites of TBD against clonorchiasis through altered metabolites and metabolic pathway analysis, and the results are expected to provide a target for the future design of anti-Clonorchis sinensis drugs. The worm burden reduction rate and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that praziquantel (PZQ, positive control drug) and TBD had significant effects on C. sinensis in rats after treatment at a single dose of 200 mg/kg for 24 h. For the MS-based metabolomic analysis, a total of 173 standard metabolites (126 amino acids, 10 phospholipids and 37 fatty acids) were utilized as a reference metabolite database for metabolome identification. In total, 32 amino acids, 71 phospholipids and 27 fatty acids were detected in the C. sinensis of each group. Among these metabolites, 10 amino acids were significantly decreased in both drug-treated groups. Four lysophosphatidyl cholines (LPCs), six lysophosphatidyl ethanolamines (LPEs) and one phosphatidyl inositol (PI) were significantly increased after treatment with TBD. There were no significant changes in fatty acids among the control group and the two drug-treated groups. The results indicated that TBD administration caused a decrease in amino acids involved in the metabolic pathways of energy consumption and an increase in lysophospholipids, which are the hydrolysis products of phospholipase2 (PLA2) in the phospholipid metabolic pathways. The increased lysophospholipid content can destroy the cell membrane, increase membrane permeability, and even cause exposure to internal antigens that can be attacked by host antibodies. Perhaps the destroyed membrane, the exposed internal antigens and the consumed energy are the cause of the damage and death of C. sinensis after TBD administration. This is an interesting problem that can be examined in future research.

Integrating metabolomics and network pharmacology to explore Rhizoma Coptidis extracts against sepsis-associated acute kidney injury

Sepsis remains the most common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients, increasing the risk of in-hospital and long-term death. Rhizoma Coptidis (RC), a classical traditional Chinese herb, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in various diseases including sepsis. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of RC extracts (RCE) against sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) and explore the underlying mechanisms with metabolomics-based network pharmacology. The results showed that RCE improved renal function and histological injury and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in SA-AKI. Using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS), 25 differential metabolites were identified that had a close connection with the pathological processes of SA-AKI and the effects of RCE. Afterward, a compound-metabolite-target-disease network was constructed and 17 overlapping target proteins of the components of RCE, the differential metabolites, and the disease-related genes were discovered. Among these overlapping target proteins, RCE increased the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), the protein expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) and reduced nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) activity. In addition, molecular docking revealed that both berberine and quercetin could bond with NOS2 and PPARα, respectively. Therefore, RCE demonstrated protective effects for SA-AKI through the regulation of metabolism and different signaling pathways.

New markers for sepsis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa during burn infection

INTRODUCTION

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in burn patients. One of the major causes of sepsis in burn patients is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We hypothesized that during dissemination from infected burn wounds and subsequent sepsis, P. aeruginosa affects the metabolome of the blood resulting in changes to specific metabolites that would serve as biomarkers for early diagnosis of sepsis caused by P. aeruginosa.

OBJECTIVES

To identify specific biomarkers in the blood after sepsis caused by P. aeruginosa infection of burns.

METHODS

Gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to compare the serum metabolome of mice that were thermally injured and infected with P. aeruginosa (B-I) to that of mice that were neither injured nor infected, mice that were injured but not infected, and mice that were infected but not injured.

RESULTS

Serum levels of 19 metabolites were significantly increased in the B-I group compared to controls while levels of eight metabolites were significantly decreased. Thymidine, thymine, uridine, and uracil (related to pyrimidine metabolism), malate and succinate (a possible sign of imbalance in the tricarboxylic acid cycle), 5-oxoproline (related to glutamine and glutathione metabolism), and trans-4-hydroxyproline (a major component of the protein collagen) were increased. Products of amino acid metabolism were significantly decreased in the B-I group, including methionine, tyrosine, indole-3-acetate, and indole-3-propionate.

CONCLUSION

In all, 26 metabolites were identified, including a unique combination of five metabolites (trans-4-hydroxyproline, 5-oxoproline, glycerol-3-galactoside, indole-3-acetate, and indole-3-propionate) that could serve as a set of biomarkers for early diagnosis of sepsis caused by P. aeruginosa in burn patients.

Huang-Lian Jie-Du decoction: a review on phytochemical, pharmacological and pharmacokinetic investigations

Huang-Lian Jie-Du decoction (HLJDD), a famous traditional Chinese prescription constituted by Rhizoma Coptidis, Radix Scutellariae, Cortex Phellodendri and Fructus Gradeniae, has notable characteristics of dissipating heat and detoxification, interfering with tumors, hepatic diseases, metabolic disorders, inflammatory or allergic processes, cerebral diseases and microbial infections. Based on the wide clinical applications, accumulating investigations about HLJDD focused on several aspects: (1) chemical analysis to explore the underlying substrates responsible for the therapeutic effects; (2) further determination of pharmacological actions and the possible mechanisms of the whole prescription and of those representative ingredients to provide scientific evidence for traditional clinical applications and to demonstrate the intriguing molecular targets for specific pathological processes; (3) pharmacokinetic feature studies of single or all components of HLJDD to reveal the chemical basis and synergistic actions contributing to the pharmacological and clinically therapeutic effects. In this review, we summarized the main achievements of phytochemical, pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles of HLJDD and its herbal or pharmacologically active chemicals, as well as our understanding which further reveals the significance of HLJDD clinically.

Comparative study of single/combination use of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du decoction and berberine on their protection on sepsis induced acute liver injury by NMR metabolic profiling

Sepsis is a serious clinical disease with a high mortality rate all around the world. Liver organ dysfunction is an important sign for the severity and outcome of sepsis in patients. In this study, ¹H NMR-based metabolomics approach and biochemical assays were applied to investigate the metabolic profiling for cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) induced acute liver injury, the therapeutical effect of single/combination use of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du decoction (HLJDD) and berberine, and the interaction of them. Metabolomics analysis revealed significant perturbations in livers of septic rats, which could be ameliorated by HLJDD, berberine and their combination treatment. Berberine could better rectified glycolysis and nucleic acid metabolism in the liver. HLJDD had exceptional better anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidative effects than berberine. The interaction of berberine and HLJDD could further strengthen the anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation, but with poor effect on amino acids metabolism. These findings highlighted the feasibility of the integrated NMR based metabolomics approach to understand the pathogenesis of diseases, the action mechanisms of therapy and the herb-drug interaction.

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du decoction treated sepsis via regulating ERK and SRC/STAT3 pathways and ameliorating metabolic status

LPS disturbed the metabolomic profiles and activated the ERK and SRC/STAT3 signaling pathways of mice, and HLJDD exerted therapeutic effects on sepsis induced by LPS.